Learning by Doing: A Laboratory Based Training Course on Dispatching Communication System

Communication technology plays a critical role in modern power grids. Electric utility personnel need to upgrade their professional skills on communication technology through training. Dispatching communication system is an important integral part of electric power communication systems. This paper presents a laboratory based training course on the topic of dispatching communication system in State Grid Technology College (SGTC). The paper describes the objective of developing the laboratory based training course, the equipments and components of the laboratory, and training projects based on the laboratory environment. The proposed laboratory consists of IP-based soft-switch and TDM-based private branch exchange (PBX) in a hybrid TDM/IP network. Hierarchical training programs have been developed by using the laboratory scenario as real work place. Hands-on laboratory projects have been developed to help the trainees experience configuration and maintenance of equipment and software that is the same as in industrial fields. The proposed training course has provided trainings and evaluations to novice employees of State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) for 5 years and the feedback is good. Continuous revision of the laboratory and projects will be made according to the evolvement of the technical field in electric power communications.